My long-time childhood friends, Chad and Cora, were married in my New Hampshire hometown over the weekend. They started dating 10 years ago when we were in high school and their wedding was quite an event. Nearly 200 people packed the town church in an evening ceremony with beautiful selections on guitar and a huge bridal party in autumnal colors (one of the flower girls, Anna, 2, announced her processional at the back of the church by saying 'Here comes Anna!' before darting up the aisle to much laughter). The reception was spotted with thoughtful fall details... hot apple cider, hurricane lamps, candied apple favors, and pumpkins lining the walk outside carved with their names and other appropriate words and images- love, a heart, etc. But the highlight of the evening was when the newlyweds approached the dance floor for their first dance. The groom surprised his bride with a live performance of their selected song by Livingston Taylor- James Taylor's brother (they look like twins!). She was shocked, and everyone in the room seemed to be sniffling by song's end. I heard one table talking about how sorry they felt for other grooms-to-be in attendance because that would be tough to match. Livingston stayed for dinner and graciously obliged his fans by posing for snapshots throughout the evening. Congrats, Chad and Cora!

Pictage is now offering something they are calling a coffee table book, not to be confused with my coffee table albums. Their new book is like that of the proof catalog book many of you have seen when you met with me, but this new style has one image per page. Yes, it is an inexpensive way to have a collection of images from your wedding or event, but it is nowhere near comparable to the quality of a custom album. Let me know if you have any questions.

Many people often ask what makes a perfect wedding for a photographer. Here is what I consider the best possible wedding, photographically speaking:

people:- a great group of people- the couple, their families, friends & bridal party, as well as the other vendors- those same people are also fun loving and expressive.

place:- a bright, spacious room full of natural light for the hair and make-up process.- a daytime outdoor ceremony - a picturesque outdoor location for the posed group shots, preferably shaded and on level ground.- the reception at the same location as the ceremony- inside a neat room with windows and oozing architectural richness.

other:- a partly cloudy day- bright sunshine leaves the subject's eyes in harsh shadows- lots of neat details that make the wedding unique- seasonal flowers, creative guest books, personalized place settings- eating at the same time as the bride & groom (many places feed the vendors after all the guests have been served and by this time, the couple is already up circulating among guests= missed photos!)- a lighted dance floor- my camera needs some ambient light to focus.